Post Tagged with: "sustainable tourism"

Each week you can expect to learn What’s New here on Greenroofs.com through our “This Week in Review” video. Here is the transcript from August 17, 2012 from our daughter, Anjuli – click on the photo below to see the video, or here. Enjoy!

– Hello, I’m Anjuli Velázquez and welcome to “This Week in Review” for August 17th, 2012 on GreenroofsTV.

– Our project of the week is the Our project of the week is the Brooklyn Grange Rooftop Farm #2 at Brooklyn Navy Yard, Building No. 3 built in 2012, in Brooklyn, New York. This rooftop farm located on the historic Brooklyn Navy Yard, is a massive 65,000 sq ft roof towering eleven stories over the East River. The lion’s share of the financing for the installation of the Navy Yard farm was granted by the Department of Environmental Protection’s Green Infrastructure Stormwater Management Initiative. With over 45,000 sq ft of the roof covered in soil and planted, it manages over one million gallons of stormwater each year, easing the burden on the overtaxed Red Hook Wastewater Pollution Control Plant.

The farm’s 12-inch deep growing beds are comprised of a special soil medium, rooflite ® intensive ag, blended specifically for rooftop use and custom designed by Brooklyn Grange and Skyland USA. With high productivity already underway, Brooklyn Grange’s second farm anticipates an estimated annual yield of 20,000 pounds of fresh produce per year. Crops will include leafy greens, aromatic herbs, heirloom tomatoes and carrots. The farm is productive during the months of April-November, while winter months see the planting of cover crops, such as clover and vetch, to prevent soil erosion and replenish vital nutrients.

– To learn more about the Brooklyn Grange Rooftop Farm #2 at Brooklyn Navy Yard, Building No. 3, click on our project of the week photo on our homepage (or on the above photos).

– Welcome to our newest sponsor here on Greenroofs.com! Bioroof Systems is a truly North American solution for the green roof marketplace, carrying the ideals of a robust environmental philosophy throughout their green roof solution.

– Jonathan Devin, of the Memphis Commercial Appeal says “Sustainable tourism boon to businesses, travelers and environment.” Tennessee is becoming a national leader in the idea of using tourist attractions to sustain the environment while drawing in tourists who want to support all things green. No more “tourist traps” filled with cheaply manufactured knickknacks and people passing through not thinking about what they’re leaving behind in their footprints.

Tourism is now helping to sustain the natural beauty of the state. A statewide initiative to get Tennessee’s hotels, restaurants, and attractions to start incorporating sustainability practices was put into effect at a kickoff celebration in April 2008. Ruby Falls in Chattanooga became the first tourist attraction in Tennessee to become Green Globe Certified, and in Memphis, the Riverfront Development Corp.’s Beale Street Landing features a green roof that flows along with nearby Tom Lee Park.

– Anthony Martinez, of WBEZ91.5, talks about “A green roofs check-in.” A local radio listener asked the question: “Are the tops of skyscrapers still being planted with green space and what have the benefits been?” A lot of people still don’t really know that much about green roofs and the good they do. So Anthony Martinez went out to find some more information about Chicago’s green roofs. He started with Michael Berkshire, the Green Projects Administrator for Chicago’s Department of Housing and Economic Development.

Berkshire explained that besides the natural beauty of green roofs, they provide economic and environmental benefits like lowering heating and cooling costs, extending a roof’s life expectancy and managing stormwater runoff. Although the amount of construction has slowed down, green roofs are still being built right now, helping to improve Chicago. Martinez concluded his research with Dr. Milind Khire of Michigan State University, a member of the school’s Green Roofs Research Program. Khire agreed that green roofs have positive effects on buildings and their communities but to fully understand the benefits for the entire city, we need lots of green roofs, not just ones here and there. He’s currently working on a computer model to predict what the city-wide benefits would look like in that case.

– To learn more about these stories and new ones posted daily, go to our In the News or Newslinks section of our website.

– Send us your green articles, videos and images to editor@greenroofs.com and share your greenroof or greenwall info with the world!